
Class 




Book 


i 




GpightN 



COPYRIGHT DEPOS.T. 




iE FIVE SUMMITS 



Aiguille des Grandes Charmoz 

ientioned in the text are immediately 



JDER THE CROS 



MY SUMMER IN 
THE ALPS 

1913 



BY 

WILLIAM WILLIAMS 



NEW YORK 

PRIVATELY PRINTED 

MCMXIV 






Copyright, 1914, by 
William Williams 



;:i9i4 



Photogravures from -photographs 
by Wehrli, EUchberg-Ziirich. 



'CI.A362122 



MY SUMMER IN THE ALPS 




MY SUMMER IN THE ALPS 



HAD not been in the Alps since 1905. In the 
interval I had visited some of the splendid moun- 
tainous regions of Colorado, Wyoming and 
Montana, but on horseback and not for the 
purpose of climbing. And now that an oppor- 
tunity presented itself to return to Switzerland 
and again indulge my taste for mountaineering, I seized it 
with avidity, for the sport continued to appeal to me as strongly 
as ever. I can truly say that there is no pastime from which, 
during many years, I have derived such enjoyment as I have 
from climbing in the Alps. 

Since I was last in Switzerland the long projected Jung- 
frau Railroad had become an accomplished fact as far as a point 
known as the Jungfraujoch, and curiosity now impelled me to 
seek first hand knowledge as to what it had to offer. Leaving 
Grindelwald early on the morning of July 30, I walked up to 
the Little Scheidegg in two and one-half hours and there 
took the train which, in a little more than an hour, carried 
me through a long tunnel to the Jungfraujoch. Here of a sud- 
den one finds one's self several thousand feet above the line 
of perpetual snow in the very heart of some of the best snow 
and ice scenery of the Bernese Oberland, and at a point where 
even the novice can, in good weather, roam safely over several 
large surfaces of snow adjoining the station. To reach such a 
spot in such a manner was strange indeed to one accustomed to 
do so only through hard climbing. It is a splendid thing that 
those who cannot or do not care to climb, and yet have a taste 
for such scenery, are thus enabled to gratify it, and I cannot 
too strongly urge all who are not disagreeably affected by the 
air of high altitudes to take this small journey and witness at 
ease glorious phases of nature which do not exist below the 
snow line. 

[1] 



MONCHJOCH 

But I had come to Switzerland for exercise, and this is not 
obtained by riding on trains. The Jungfraujoch has already 
become a starting point for several excursions (including, for 
instance, the Jungfrau) and with knowledge of this fact I had 
brought along guides from Grindelwald. Leaving the train at 
Jungfraujoch we proceeded to cross the Monchjoch, a great 
snow pass with an altitude of about 12,000 feet, which led us 
into the midst of further magnificent scenery, so that during 
the course of the day I saw again every important peak of 
the Bernese Oberland, including Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, 
Schreckhorn, Finsteraarhorn, Viescherhorner and Aletschhorn; 
and as I looked at them I recalled much of the pleasure and 
some of the difficulties and excitement experienced in climbing 
them in years past. Our walk lasted only four hours, as we 
rejoined the train at the Eismeer station, but it proved to be a 
good practice walk and furnished considerable exercise; for our 
start being a late one and the weather warm and clear, we en- 
countered soft snow throughout, which rendered the going heavy. 
Frequently we sank to above our knees and sometimes to our 
waists. 

At Eismeer I was struck by some of the decorative in- 
scriptions in the waiting-room. One read as follows : 

"Ob Juden, Haiden, oder Christen, 
Wir sind auf Erden nur Touristen." 

To post the following, however true, involved some bold- 
ness on the part of a management doubtless quite as anxious 
to receive the money of "fools" as of any other class of 
travelers: 

"Den Narren kann man nicht entgehen, 
Auch auf den hochsten Bergeshbhen." 

"Ihre Torheit zu beweisen, 
Gehen viele Lent' auf Reisen." 

"1st einer ein Esel und sonst nichts wetter, 
So wird er durch Reisen nicht gescheiter." 

[2] 



As principal climbing centres for this summer I selected 
Zermatt and Chamonix and proceeded to the former from 
Grindelwald on August i, traveling first by automobile through 
Interlaken, Spiez and the beautiful Simmenthal to Martigny, and 
thence by train. My excellent guide of 1905, Joseph Taug- 
walder, I found to be engaged, but through him was introduced 
to Hieronymus Julen, another first-class guide, who in turn 
selected Adolph Julen as second guide, and on Saturday, Au- 
gust 2, by way of further practice, we ascended the Riffelhorn. 
The time required to put one's self into training, so that dif- 
ficult walking and climbing shall be an enjoyment and never a 
burden, will vary with the individual, but three or four short, 
stiff excursions will accomplish a great deal in this direction and 
usually prove sufficient; this, at least, is my experience. The 
Riffelhorn is a rock well known to most mountaineers as afford- 
ing many interesting short climbs, some easy, some rather dif- 
ficult. I have been on it at least half a dozen times. Elsewhere 
I have described the route known as the "Matterhorn Couloir." 
To-day we took the "Sky-line" route, and I returned to Zermatt 
with some further exercise to my credit and in better condition 
than I was before. 

ALPHUBEL PASS 

Our next excursion was across the beautiful Alphubel Pass 
to the valley of Saas, lying easterly and parallel to that of 
Zermatt. On the afternoon of August 3 we went to sleep at 
the modest inn at Taschalp, whence we started for our pass at 
2.30 a. m. next day, using a lantern for the first hour and a 
half. It was good to be again walking in that crisp morning 
air, and glorious scenery of rock, ice and snow began unfolding 
itself with the approach of dawn. This occurred shortly before 
4, when we observed a faint gray light on the great snow peaks 
about us, followed, perhaps an hour later, by the early rays of 
the sun, at first on a few of the highest and later on countless 
smaller ones. This impressive spectacle is one I have often had 
the chance to witness, and each time it has seemed more beauti- 
ful than the last. 

[3] 



We walked for four hours without halt except to adjust 
the rope upon reaching the ice, and at 6.30 stopped for break- 
fast at a point about an hour below the summit of the pass. The 
Alphubel is justly noted for its fine views, and thanks to the 
cloudless weather we were able to enjoy them fully. It is not 
often that one breakfasts with a panorama of such surpassing 
beauty as was spread out before us on this occasion, compris- 
ing as it did Monte Rosa, Lyskamm, Castor and Pollux, Breit- 
horn and Matterhorn, all in a perfect setting, partly in the 
shade, partly in the soft light of the early sun. Between us 
and the two peaks first named the eye met nothing but snow 
and ice extending over many miles and to an altitude of some 
15,000 feet. We gained the summit of the Alphubel at 7.40, 
and there, at an elevation of about 12,500 feet, enjoyed further 
splendid views in new directions. The descent to the village of 
Saas Fee, which we reached at noon, calls for no special 
mention, except that after 8 it became very hot, the snow soft 
and the going heavy. We were constantly sinking in below our 
knees (as on the Monchjoch) while my face, which was not 
yet hardened to the extremes of cold and heat encountered on 
Alpine excursions, continued to burn throughout the rest of 
the day. 

The village of Saas Fee enjoys a picturesque location in 
an amphitheatre formed by splendid peaks, the greatest of which 
are the two noble Mischabelhorner, the Dom and the Taschhorn, 
each of them nearly 15,000 feet high. It has not yet been 
invaded by the railroad, and the postal service from Stalden is 
still performed with the aid of some fifty mules. 

Our plan was to return to Zermatt via the Nadelhorn, 
and for this purpose we went, the day following (August 5), to 
sleep at the Mischabel hut, situated at a height of nearly 11,000 
feet on the slopes of the Dom. We were four and one-half 
hours in reaching it. Two other parties had preceded us, one 
French, the other English. Upon entering the hut I was struck 
at once with the bad air within, and came to the conclusion that 
the Englishmen had not cared to raise the issue of ventilation 
with the Frenchmen. But I felt obliged to do so and am glad 
to say that we soon found ourselves in accord. It was even 

[4] 



agreed that a small window should remain open throughout the 
night. Guides, of course, never see any reason why fresh air 
should be let into a mountain hut, and most Continental tourists 
entertain the same views. 

The weather, in the meantime, had turned bad; it came on to 
snow, and we retired with but small hopes of being able to cross 
the Nadelhorn next day. Upon awaking we found that there 
was no improvement and were confronted with the alternative 
of waiting in the hut for good weather (with the necessity of 
sending down to the valley for more food) or utilizing the period 
of bad weather to proceed to the base of some other peak. We 
chose the latter, wisely, as the event showed, and, descending 
quickly to Saas Fee, walked thence in four hours through the 
long valley of Saas to Stalden, observing on the way a peasant 
woman smoking a long pipe while at work in the fields. At 
Stalden we took the train for Zermatt. 

POLLUX 

The day following was a rainy one at Zermatt, but on 
Friday, August 8, it cleared — at least partially — and in the after- 
noon we went to sleep at the Gandeck hut, near the foot of the 
Breithorn. The twin peaks of Castor and Pollux, usually men- 
tioned together and well known to all who have enjoyed the 
view from the Gornergrat, were the only ones of the larger 
peaks about Zermatt which I had not heretofore climbed, and we 
hoped on this occasion to ascend one or perhaps both of them. 
During the late afternoon and evening at the Gandeck the 
weather was warm and unsettled, and the clouds could not make 
up their minds whether to stay or go, with the result that the 
magnificent peaks about us were seen amidst numerous varying 
and beautiful atmospheric effects. At one time all that could be 
seen of Dent Blanche, Gabelhorn, Rothorn and Weisshorn was 
their final points above a great sea of clouds. At another, all 
but the uppermost part of the Matterhorn was in cloud, the 
portion visible presenting the appearance of a triangle of the size 
and shape of the pyramid of the Rothorn, but tipping in the 
opposite direction. The scene was weird and fascinating beyond 

[5] 



the power of words adequately to describe, and I went to bed 
reluctantly. 

We were to start at 2 a. m., but so unsettled was the 
weather that we did not venture to leave until 3.45, at which 
time it cleared suddenly, and at once it became evident that a 
beautiful morning was before us. For two and a half hours we 
followed the Breithorn route, walking over easy, rising snow 
fields on which there were at least six parties, four of them bound 
for the Breithorn, one for Castor and one for Pollux, all advanc- 
ing rapidly. The sun rose on a cloudless sky and its first pale 
illumination of the splendid peaks surrounding us furnished a 
most beautiful picture, so beautiful in fact that it seemed as 
if we should cease walking and devote our whole attention to it. 
After thus rising for two and a half hours we began skirting the 
long, southerly face of the Breithorn — a most interesting route — 
and at 7.15 were at its westerly end, where we halted for break- 
fast, an hour's walk thereafter bringing us to the foot of the 
southerly Pollux arete. Usually its ascent presents no particular 
difficulty, but this was a bad year for rock climbing by reason of 
the extraordinary amount of snow, which indeed rendered some 
of the great rock peaks quite unclimbable throughout the whole 
season. Snow in the rocks operates to conceal or destroy wholly 
or in part the usefulness of any foot and hand-holds, while offer- 
ing no proper substitute, especially when soft. We made slow 
time and were not on the summit until 1 1 . We were then at a 
height of approximately 13,500 feet. A strong, cold wind was 
blowing and the atmospheric conditions were generally so dis- 
agreeable that we remained on top but two minutes. 

As we approached the base of the peak on the descent we 
noted that banks of fog were rising from Italy, and indeed this 
fog soon enveloped us, rendering it inadvisable, especially at 
so late an hour in the day, to attempt to climb the adjoining 
Castor. The problem before us was how best to reach Zermatt 
before bad weather should set in, and we selected the shortest 
route via the Schwarzthor. "Thor" means gateway, and this 
was indeed one of magnificent proportions, lying between Pollux 
and the Breithorn and leading down the Schwarze Glacier to the 

[6] 



Gorner Glacier below. Fortunately the Italian fog halted at the 
Schwarzthor and did not cross the boundary into Switzerland. 

The upper portion of the Schwarze Glacier consists of steep 
slopes of snow, and these were becoming very soft under the 
influence of a hot sun. ' We literally waded down them, and as 
we approached the bottom entered a veritable maze of broken 
and fissured ice, with surrounding ice towers, or seracs, differing 
however from the ordinary maze in that it sloped downward, 
which circumstance, taken in conjunction with the softness of 
the snow, would have rendered very difficult the task of return- 
ing; in fact, to remount the 2,000 feet of steep, soft snow that 
afternoon would have been next to impossible. As we pro- 
gressed, we seemed to become more and more involved and finally 
found ourselves on a transverse band of ice with the way to the 
next one apparently barred. Usually, where the intervening fis- 
sures are too wide to be jumped, one can get around the ends, but 
not so here. After much careful consideration the guides deter- 
mined that to extricate ourselves it would be necessary to enter 
what may be roughly described as an ice cave, and cut our way 
up partitions of ice within this cave a distance of some twenty 
feet. This was attended with some danger owing to the possi- 
bility of the chopping on a hot afternoon bringing down portions 
of the ice above; but as a result of much delicate ice work on the 
part of the guides we finally emerged in safety on to the next band 
of ice, whence progress became relatively easy. The descent of 
the Schwarzthor is not usually accompanied with serious dif- 
ficulties and those encountered may be ascribed to the abnormal 
amount of snow, which affected materially the movement and 
configuration of the lower portion of the Schwarze Glacier. 

UNTERGABELHORN 

The day following the ascent of Pollux we went to the 
Trift Inn, some two hours above Zermatt, where we spent the 
night preparatory to climbing the Untergabelhorn. We started 
Monday morning, August 11, at 4 a. m., the lateness of the 
hour being due to the fact that the excursion, though an ex- 
ceedingly interesting one, was to be short. The weather was all 
that could be desired and we selected for our route the east 

[7] 



ridge, noted for the excellent rock climbing which it affords. A 
fine rock climb is one of the greatest joys known to the moun- 
taineer and a most exhilarating form of exercise, bringing into 
play almost every muscle and part of the body, for the hands 
and feet are not alone sufficient in the ascent or descent of dif- 
ficult rocks, and where either good hand or foot-hold is wanting 
one discovers how much can be done with the elbows, the knees, 
the shoulders and the back. Some of the very best rock climbing 
is found on "aretes," or ridges, which almost always have their 
teeth, needles or pinnacles, sometimes termed "gendarmes," and 
these usually present interesting and perplexing problems by 
reason of the sharpness of their edges and the steepness of their 
sides, rendering it often as hard to cross as to turn or circum- 
vent them. In the case of the Untergabelhorn the best of the 
climbing lasted, it is true, not much over an hour, but while it 
lasted it was most interesting and exciting and included cross- 
ing three needles. We were on the summit at 9.30, where we 
found ourselves surrounded on all sides by great peaks, so that 
the views were of the best in every direction. The Matterhorn, 
always impressive, seemed peculiarly so from this point. We 
remained on the summit a long time, for it was good to be there 
in such weather, and upon leaving proceeded leisurely to Zermatt 
by the usual route. 

In a season of variable weather such as this, one must 
take at least some chances if anything is to be accomplished, 
and by starting for a hut in the rain one may be able to make 
the ascent in fine weather : for this may come next day and last 
only twenty-four hours. Tuesday, August 12, it rained hard, nor 
were conditions on Wednesday much better; but, believing that 
they must change shortly, we started Wednesday afternoon for 
the Schonbuhl hut, up the Zmutt Glacier, intending to cross next 
day to Arolla via the Col d'Herens and the Col de Bertol. 
Upon reaching the hut we found that we were not the only ones 
who were willing to gamble on the weather for the following 
day, four other parties having preceded us, all anxious to do 
something. The guides woke me at 3. It had cleared con- 
siderably during the night, but the air was unnaturally warm and 
there were threatening clouds. It was almost a foregone con- 

[8] 



elusion that the day would not be fine, but the passes selected, 
though lofty ones, did not belong to the very difficult class and we 
thought the weather would be at least good enough for their 
crossing. So we started at 4. Much soft snow had fallen, 
rendering the going laborious, but that was relatively unim- 
portant; the real difficulty that we had to contend with was fog, 
the configuration of the Col d'Herens and the intervening space 
between it and the Bertol being such that at least moderately 
clear weather was necessary for a safe crossing. We walked 
slowly toward the first pass, hoping that the fog would lift as 
the hours advanced. A slight improvement would have en- 
abled us to make a dash and get across, but it did not come; in- 
stead there arose a furious snow storm accompanied by great 
cold and by 10 a. m. we realized, though then near the summit, 
that we could not return too soon to the lower levels. Only those 
who have experienced it can appreciate what bad weather means 
at great altitudes. We had a veritable taste of severe winter 
weather in mid-summer. In an hour after turning back we were 
out of the snow storm and reached Zermatt in due course in a 
heavy rain. Apparently several days of bad weather were in 
store for Zermatt, so I decided to take this opportunity to change 
my base of operations to Chamonix. 

AIGUILLE D'ARGENTIERE 

It so happened that I had done less climbing at Chamonix 
than in most of the other districts of the Alps and I was exceed- 
ingly glad to go there again. Twenty-four years had elapsed 
since I had visited it, and numerous were the changes which I 
noticed. The railroad has resulted in converting what was for- 
merly a quiet mountain village into a small town with up-to-date 
shops, beer gardens and a theatre, and you are now whizzed 
in an automobile to your hotel instead of walking to it from 
the spot where the "diligence" used to leave you. Arriving as 
I did at night, I went to bed thinking Chamonix a far less attrac- 
tive place than formerly, and it was not until I awoke next 
morning and looked up at the familiar mountains that I fully 
realized that its principal attractions had not been affected by 
the onward march of civilization. I put up at Couttet's Hotel, 

[9] 



with its beautiful garden, and having secured the services of 
two excellent guides, Jules Burnet and Jean Devouassoud, 
arranged to start the following afternoon for the Aiguille 
d'Argentiere. I owed my good luck in finding two such 
guides disengaged at the height of the season to the fact that 
it was one of such variable weather that business was slack. In 
past years I had ascended Mont Blanc, the Aiguille Verte and 
the two peaks of the Aiguille du Dru, and the Aiguille d'Argen- 
tiere would take me into a portion of the chain with which I was 
not very familiar. The guides and I first went shopping for food 
and I was conducted to the "Faisan dore," an excellent char- 
cuterie or delicatessen store. We found there just what we 
wanted, including wonderful cheeses and the best of honey in 
glass jars of convenient size. Cheese and honey are two of the 
articles of food on which I have usually relied in climbing, some 
of the others being bread, butter, chicken and sardines. A curi- 
ous combination, some may say, and there may be no particular 
virtue in it, but it has served my purposes well and does not 
differ widely from that taken by others on mountain excursions. 
At the evening meal in a hut a thick, nourishing soup forms 
almost invariably the principal dish. Some climbers drink light 
wine (usually "vin du pays"), others tea, my personal prefer- 
ence being for the former. 

Leaving Chamonix we passed through the village of Argen- 
tine and then ascended a steep path to a small mountain inn at 
Lognon, high up on the Glacier d'Argentiere, where we spent 
the night. We started next morning at 1.30, the moon lighting 
the way. Mountaineering is the only pastime I know of in 
which the hours between midnight and five o'clock, when nature 
may be at her loveliest, are regularly used for out-of-door ex- 
ercise. It goes without saying that very hard work cannot be 
done either on rocks or snow while reliance must be placed on 
moonlight or lantern light, but the approach, lasting from two to 
five hours, to that part of the climb which is to test one's powers 
is not as a rule difficult. On the contrary, it will often be across 
a smooth glacier, or over snowfields with an easy incline, and 
almost always one is surrounded by and coming nearer to peaks 
which lose nothing of their magnificence as seen on a clear night. 
[10] 



in O 



■< D 
8 i 




And when, in addition, it happens that the splendid snow moun- 
tains of these regions are bathed in moonlight, I doubt whether 
there exists a more beautiful scene in nature, or a form of ex- 
ercise more fascinating and exhilarating than that of walking at 
such a time and in such a place. 

Substantially these conditions existed at the beginning of the 
walk we were taking on this occasion. On our right was the 
picturesque Aiguille Verte with its splendid, rugged ridges known 
as Les Droites and Les Courtes, on our left the Aiguille du 
Chardonnet; and as we proceeded up the Glacier d'Argentiere 
there came into view its wonderful amphitheatre which vies in 
beauty with the scenery at the end of the Mer de Glace. As we 
approached the junction of the Glacier du Chardonnet and the 
Glacier d'Argentiere we crossed the latter to the left and, ascend- 
ing the moraine of the former, stopped at 4.30 for a light break- 
fast, starting again at 5 up snowfields which led us near to the 
foot of our peak. At 7.15 we believed that we would be at the 
summit in an hour and a quarter; we did not, however, reach 
it until 10, for we soon came to rocks which, like those on Pollux, 
had been put into very bad condition through fresh snow. 
Ascending these we reached a shoulder of snow at the foot of the 
final pyramid, where another unpleasant surprise awaited us. 
The summit was not over 300 feet above us, but the route to it 
was over ice, and for more than an hour the guides were engaged 
in the slow process of cutting steps up a slope so steep that it was 
necessary in addition to cut holes for the hands. In returning 
we went down this slope with our faces to it — "a reculons," as 
the French say. 

Meanwhile the weather, which had begun well, was changing 
rapidly, and as we arrived on our peak it became enveloped 
in fog, a most discouraging circumstance, especially as we were at 
an elevation of nearly 13,000 feet. Fortunately it lifted for a 
few minutes, so that we had at least a glimpse of the marvelous 
scenery to the south towards Mt. Dolent and the adjoining 
jagged peaks, whose steep, furrowed rocks, streaked with snow, 
presented an appearance almost fantastic. It was sad that we 
were to see so little of this scenery, but the skies were getting 
black, and at any moment we might find ourselves in the midst 



of a storm. We, therefore, proceeded to descend as fast as was 
prudent and were off the mountain proper by I o'clock. With- 
out further incident worthy of note we reached the Valley of 
Chamonix at 4.15, having been out approximately fifteen hours, 
of which thirteen and one-half were spent in walking. I went 
to bed early but was soon awakened by a violent thunderstorm. 
It was indeed fortunate for us that it had refrained from break- 
ing until after our excursion — in every way a most interesting 
one — was over. 

COL DE TALEFRE 

Next day, Tuesday, August 19, I went to Montanvert, a 
starting point for numerous fine excursions, but that and the fol- 
lowing day it rained and rained, and all was gloom amongst the 
climbers there assembled. It is, however, always darkest before 
dawn, and the dawn came, temporarily at least, on Thursday, 
August 21, in the shape of very fine weather. But the new 
snow had rendered the best rock climbs impossible for the pres- 
ent, and this seemed eminently the time for me to cross one of 
the snow passes leading from the Mer de Glace, or its tributaries, 
into Italy and incidentally visit the village of Courmayeur, 
charmingly situated on the southerly side of Mont Blanc. Hav- 
ing heretofore crossed the Col du Geant (the pass usually 
taken) , I chose the Col de Talefre. Leaving Montanvert we pro- 
ceeded a certain distance up the Mer de Glace, then turning 
to the left climbed some rocks, reaching in three hours the 
Couvercle hut, where we spent Thursday night. On the way 
we were startled by a loud noise, the result of the sudden col- 
lapse of several ice towers of an adjoining glacier, weighing 
hundreds of tons. A similar occurrence on the Brenva Glacier 
in Italy had a week before occasioned the death of an unfortu- 
nate porter. 

The Couvercle is situated on the slopes of the Aiguille du 
Moine at an elevation of about 9,000 feet in immediate prox- 
imity to some of the best scenery in the Alps, the dominant peaks 
being Mont Blanc (which in my opinion presents a finer ap- 
pearance from this, its easterly side, than any other), the 
Grandes Jorasses and the Aiguille Verte, with its splendid con- 
[12] 



tinuing ridges already referred to, Les Droites and Les Courtes. 
In whatever direction the eye turned, it met an impressive sight. 
The sunset was a splendid one and then came twilight followed 
by brilliant moonlight. Scenes of this sort to be appreciated 
must be witnessed, for "in beauty they far exceed anything that 
may be imagined by those not acquainted with them; and how- 
ever glorious these mountains may be by day, yet he who has 
not seen them also by moonlight knows but a part of their 
splendor. 

Once before I had spent a night at the Couvercle, namely 
in 1889, when I climbed the Aiguille Verte, but then there was 
no hut, only a great overhanging rock under which we slept — or 
tried to sleep. Now we found a small but comfortable hut 
which on the night of August 21 sheltered several parties of 
climbers. I retired last and had my mattress placed on the floor 
of the ante-chamber where I could control the ventilation. 
Though the air without was crisp, yet the door remained open a 
bit during the night and thus we slept soundly until 3 o'clock, 
when we arose and breakfasted. An hour later we went out 
into a scene of great beauty and began our climb as moonlight 
was giving way to early dawn. When in 1889 we started from 
the Couvercle for the Aiguille Verte, we had a very hard day 
before us, the event of which remained uncertain until half an 
hour before we reached the summit, for the mountain proved to 
be an extremely difficult and dangerous one, nor was I surprised 
to learn that in some of the succeeding years, including this one, 
it could not be climbed at all. To-day's excursion was of a 
totally different character, and we were almost certain to accom- 
plish it with relative ease. 

The Col de Talefre, as seen in the distance, resembles a 
tall, narrow strip of snow between the Aiguilles de Talefre and 
de Triolet. The walk to the foot of it was a beautiful one over 
gradually rising snowfields, and as the sky was cloudless I was 
again enabled to witness one of those wonderful sunrises which 
can be seen only at high altitudes. No difficulties whatever 
were encountered until we were about 300 feet below the top 
of the pass, when the fresh snow on the final slopes gave us 
some trouble, as it had several times elsewhere earlier in the 

[13] 



season, and we were an hour covering this short distance. On 
the summit, which we reached at 7.40, a magnificent view of 
"Sunny Italy" suddenly burst upon us, and with it also a very 
rapid increase in the temperature, which rose from below the 
freezing point to 70 degrees, or thereabouts. We realized at 
once that the heat of the sun on the Italian side was already 
playing havoc with the snow slopes which we were to descend, 
and as they contained many hidden crevasses, we felt that we 
could not attack them too soon, so we left at once, and until 
10.30 were struggling with rather trying conditions. We con- 
stantly sank deep into the snow, and were compelled to spend 
much time in dodging and circumventing a number of those deep 
fissures of which Tyndall has so rightly said that "to be killed 
in the open air would be a luxury compared with having the 
life squeezed out of one in the horrible gloom of these chasms." 
Not until 10.30, when we were off the snow, did we sit down for 
our first meal since 3.30 a. m. Usually one partakes of food 
every three or four hours; to omit doing so for seven hours is 
against the rules of the game and the longings of nature, but 
sometimes, as here, it becomes necessary to suffer awhile from 
hunger in the interest of safety. We were walking till about 2, 
when we came to the highroad leading down the Val Ferris, 
whence we drove in a cart to Courmayeur. Almost our last act 
was to wade a waist-deep glacial stream which the fresh snows 
had converted into a torrent. 

It was our plan to start the following day for Mont Blanc 
and ascend it from the Italian side by the Miage Glacier. All 
arrangements were made accordingly, but the weather again 
put in its veto and compelled us to take twenty-four hours of 
rest we did not feel we required. They did not, however, pass at 
all unpleasantly. Courmayeur is beautifully located and is, fur- 
thermore, only twenty-five miles distant from the interesting 
town of Aosta, and since an excellent automobile service exists 
between the two places, I was able to spend the afternoon visit- 
ing Roman ruins, enjoying, incidentally, delightful rides down 
and up the valley. The dust on the highroad was laid by 
laborers splashing water on it from a gutter by means of spades 
with long handles. Courmayeur possesses an excellent hotel, 

[14] 



also the usual long, narrow street, closely lined with shops of 
every description. Amongst the articles for sale I noticed 
"Elixir La Brenva," named after the glacier, regardless of the 
fact that the Brenva route to the summit of Mont Blanc is one of 
the deadliest in the Alps and had only the previous week claimed 
another victim. High heels and hobble skirts were much in 
evidence in this primitive Italian village, nor was their use con- 
fined to the summer visitors. The hours subsequent to 12 noon 
were designated by the numbers 13 to 24 for all apparent pur- 
poses except to indicate the times of meals; but in this age of 
progress Courmayeur may yet have 13 o'clock lunch, 17 o'clock 
tea and 20 o'clock dinner. 

COL DU MONT TONDU 

The second day after our arrival in Courmayeur we left it 
for the Miage Glacier with a view to ascending Mont Blanc the 
next day. But again we were balked by the weather, which grew 
so bad towards afternoon that it would have been sheer folly to 
continue in the direction of a great peak. We, therefore, 
changed our plans and arranged to return to Chamonix via the 
Val de la Seigne and the Col du Mont Tondu, spending that 
night at a mountain inn called Les Motets. Stationed near it 
were several companies of the Chasseurs Alpins of the French 
Army, soldiers of fine appearance. One of my guides had served 
with them three years and he had some things of interest to 
relate concerning them. The inn was well filled with guests, 
amongst them a Frenchman and a German who, being seated 
at the same table, agreed to "split" a bottle of vin ordinaire, 
there being no half bottles. As the Frenchman was an ex-officer, 
T thought the transaction not without interest. 

Early on the morning of August 25 we left Les Motets for 
the Col du Mont Tondu, the top of which we reached in three 
and a half hours of easy walking. From here we looked down 
on the other side upon the great Tre-la-Tete Glacier, which I had 
never seen before. Then descending to it, we crossed it and 
reached Contamines three hours later. We proceeded thence to 
St. Gervais and Chamonix and upon arriving at the last named 
place had, incidentally, completed the tour of Mont Blanc. 

[15] 



MONT BLANC 

I had climbed Mont Blanc in ib8i and recently conceived 
a desire to revisit it. There are some who dispose of the 
ascent of this great mountain by referring to it as a long, tedious 
walk over snow fields. I do not share this view. The walk is 
a long one, but to me it is far from tedious, provided always 
one be in fit physical condition to undertake it. That person 
has my sympathy who is unable to derive keen enjoyment from 
close acquaintance with this magnificent mountain, of the vast- 
ness and beauty of whose snow fields one cannot obtain a correct 
conception from below. The question is often asked whether 
the ascent of Mont Blanc is hard or easy, but the answer depends 
largely on the weather conditions and the strength and experi- 
ence of the climbing party. Given good weather, it may offer no 
serious difficulties; but the weather is often bad, and then by 
reason of its altitude and size, it may become a place of great 
danger. The mountain has a long death roll to its credit, 
for a great many who have no real interest in or knowledge of 
mountaineering are nevertheless tempted to climb it merely be- 
cause it is the highest mountain in Europe, and where such people, 
being led by inferior guides (always plentiful), are overtaken 
by a furious storm, it need cause no surprise if they come to 
grief. 

We spent the night preceding the climb at the usual point, 
namely, the Grands Mulets, splendidly situated at a height of 
over 10,000 feet in the midst of snow and ice, reaching it in 
five and one-half hours from Chamonix and arriving in time to 
enjoy the afternoon and evening views from our lofty position. 
Avalanches were very frequent this year and we witnessed two 
of the first order. The first, from the Glacier des Bossons, 
strewed the path below the Pierre Pointue with great blocks of 
ice, and would have brought death to anyone using it at that 
time. The other, lasting several minutes, resembled a splendid 
waterfall, about 400 feet high and fifty feet wide. 

Next morning we left the Grands Mulets at 1.30 a. m., 
and reached the summit seven hours later. Of this time we were 
walking about six and one-quarter hours. The condition of the 
[16] 



snow was not particularly good, but neither was it bad. The 
principal points on the route are : Le Petit Plateau, Le Grand 
Plateau, La Cote du Dome, Le Col du Dome, Les Bosses, La 
Mauvaise Arete, La Cote de la Tournette, La Culotte and the 
Summit. Perhaps the route may be roughly described by saying 
that two-thirds of it (to the Col du Dome) is principally over 
steep, broad surfaces of snow, either those leading to the pla- 
teaus, or the plateaus themselves, while the remaining third is 
principally along ridges of snow or ice. We experienced all sorts 
of weather. Between 3.30 and 4 a. m., on the Grand Plateau, 
we were in a snow storm which threatened at one time to render 
further progress impossible, but we persisted and obtained our 
reward in the shape of clear skies later. At 6 o'clock, the 
weather having changed, it came on to blow strong and cold from 
the north, and the last two hours of the ascent were made in a 
wind with a velocity of 30 to 40 miles an hour and with a tem- 
perature well below freezing; which conditions, taken in connec- 
tion with the rarity of the air above 14,000 feet, rendered the 
last part of the climb a very chilly affair. Once on the summit, 
we were at a height of nearly 16,000 feet above sea level and 
8,000 feet above the line of perpetual snow; and so clear was 
the atmosphere that we remained there half an hour, notwith- 
standing the cold, to enjoy the wonderful scene which was spread 
out before us. Then, descending, we reached the Grands Mulets 
at 11.30 and Chamonix some three hours later. 

AIGUILLE DES GRANDES CHARMOZ 

There are no peaks in the world affording better rock 
climbing than some of the "aiguilles" about Chamonix, and few 
afford as good. Among such aiguilles may be mentioned the 
two points of the Dru, the Grepon, the Requin and the Grandes 
Charmoz. Their rocks are firm and offer passages about as 
difficult as it is possible for human beings to ascend or descend 
without artificial aid; indeed, to the uninitiated some of the places 
which with care and effort may nevertheless be scaled must 
often seem quite inaccessible. The joy and satisfaction of such 
climbing are very great, and those who have once indulged in 
it almost invariably return to it. Peaks of the character men- 

[17] 



tioned can be climbed only under favorable conditions. Above 
all, the rocks must be free from snow, for its presence not only 
makes them slippery but renders it difficult or impossible to 
find, or when found to use, the hand and foot-holds. 

The Grandes Charmoz are one of the several splendid 
aiguilles with numerous sharp and jagged summits which form 
the westerly boundary of the Mer de Glace. With a view to its 
ascent we slept at Montanvert (already referred to) the day 
after climbing Mont Blanc, leaving it at about 2 a. m. on the 
following day, Friday, August 29. We proceeded for three 
and a half hours without halt, except to adjust the rope upon 
reaching the ice, and were then at the point known as the "Ro- 
gnon," well up on the Glacier de Nantillon, where we break- 
fasted. The weather could not have been better, and from 
the Rognon we walked rapidly up and across the snow above 
this glacier, until we were at the foot of the long couloir which 
leads to the depression between the Charmoz and the Grepon. 
There our knapsacks were deposited, as well as two of the three 
ice-axes, for some very hard rock work lay before us and we 
wished to be burdened with nothing that was not indispensable. 
We placed a small amount of food in our pockets. After 
ascending the couloir for three-quarters of an hour we turned 
sharply to the left (the Grepon lying to the right) and were 
soon thereafter at close quarters with rocks which afforded us 
splendid climbing for about an hour. At one point we found 
ourselves face to face with an exceedingly steep and narrow 
gully, or chimney, about twenty feet high, which it was necessary 
to ascend by the sides, where the holds were few and awkwardly 
situated. A part of the distance there was a small crack. In 
the course of this bit of climbing one has to grip with the knees 
surfaces at a wide angle and, rising, throw oneself quickly and 
adroitly to the right and there secure a new hold higher up. 
The effort involved in surmounting such an obstacle as this 
chimney is very great and almost certain to leave one blown 
and ready to pause for a moment. The highest summit, called 
the Grande Pointe, was reached first, and we found the top of it 
to be a very small spot, with precipices in several directions. 
But the rocks were secure, and we remained several minutes to 
[18] 




0«f OF THE FIVE SUM 



enjoy the beautiful view and other interesting features of the 
scene about us. 

The rope had been playing an important part in our climb- 
ing, as it does in every ascent of any magnitude, whether on snow 
or on rocks, and a word here as to its proper function will not 
be out of place. Its use on snow is readily explained. With 
three on the rope, if one of the party break through the surface, 
the others can prevent him from disappearing very far. Whereas 
any one, however careful, may break through the snow, the 
good climber will rarely, if ever, slip on rocks which he has 
once determined are fit to be climbed. And yet even in the 
case of such climbers the presence of the rope is indispensable 
as a means of steadying them and furnishing them with the moral 
courage or support necessary to enable them to attack difficult 
places. The question may be asked whether in the unlikely 
event of a slip the rope can be made to guard against its con- 
sequences. The answer is that usually it can, provided it be 
used with intelligence and skill; for at difficult places only one 
member of the party will advance at a time, and before he 
advances at least one of the others will lodge himself in a secure 
position and, if possible, double the rope around a firm knob of 
rock. 

In connection with what is said here it must be remembered 
that only expert climbers can with safety undertake to scale rocks 
which present difficulties of the first order, and each member 
of the party should have full confidence in the ability of each 
of the others not only to climb without slipping, but also to 
render some assistance if the unexpected slip actually happen; 
and when the party is so constituted serious accident is a matter 
of very rare occurrence. He who finds himself requiring much 
active assistance from the rope on rocks should remain below, 
for it is not the province of the rope to enable the incompetent 
to be dragged up peaks. But there are instances where assistance 
is as proper as it is necessary, as when an almost perpendicular 
wall is met, with no cracks or holds and considerably higher 
than the reach of the leader. He may be able to ascend it only 
by first placing himself on the shoulders of the second man and 

[19] 



so on. Obviously in such a case the last man must haul himself 
up by the rope, or be hauled up by it. 

The really serious work of the day came after leaving the 
Grande Pointe, for we had set ourselves the task of traversing, 
or crossing, the five principal summits of the Charmoz. The 
next one is known as Baton Wils. Before reaching it we had 
to pass an extremely narrow shelf with a long drop (where 
anything resembling dizziness would have been entirely out of 
place) and scale another difficult chimney. Boulders and stones 
at great heights in the Alps are usually found placed upon each 
other in a manner most extraordinary and perplexing to the 
climber; why there should be fewer hand and foot-holds at 
these lofty elevations than lower down, I do not know. At a 
later point of the climb we came to two rocks, one known as the 
Pas Carre, which could not be crossed and had to be turned 
by their steep, rectangular corners to the left. Neither of these 
corners was inviting, for there was no place to put the feet 
except where the rocks curved slightly outwards near their base 
(and even then one could grip only with the tips of the boots), 
while the depths below were considerable. Before it was deemed 
safe to pass either, the second rope was so adjusted around firm 
knobs of rock as to serve as what the guides termed a "rampe" 
(literally, hand rail) in the event of a slip, of which, however, 
no one was guilty. 

Thus, for about two hours we enjoyed what may be fairly 
termed severe climbing between five of the summits of this 
interesting aiguille. Fortunately the weather continued fine. 
It was warm and clear and there was not a breath of wind. We 
left the mountain by way of the fifth peak, from which we de- 
scended directly, encountering in the course of this descent a 
number of bad gullies with steep, smooth sides. Down three of 
them it was impossible to go except with the use of the second 
rope, which in each instance was carefully adjusted around a 
knob of rock at the top, so that it could be withdrawn by the 
last man. We regained the snow at the point where we had 
left the knapsacks and ice-axes, and once on it realized that we 
would have to make haste, for it was very warm and some three 
hundred feet of the route were likely at any moment to be swept 

[20] 



by avalanches from the steep glacier which came down from the 
Aiguille de la Blaitiere. Across this space we hurried in double 
quick step and without further incident reached the Rognon at 
1.30 and Montanvert at 4. The climb proved to be one of the 
best and most exciting I have ever enjoyed and also the last 
one of this my fifteenth season in the Alps. 



[21] 



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